1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein the oscillating arm is pivotally connected to the connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof, with the interposition of a joint part, wherein the wiper blade comprises a spoiler at a side thereof facing away from the windscreen to be wiped.
2. Related Art
Such a windscreen wiper device is known from European patent publication no. 1 491 416 of the same Applicant. The prior art windscreen wiper device is in particular designed as a “yokeless” wiper device or “flat blade”, wherein use is no longer made of several yokes pivotally connected to each other, but wherein the wiper blade is biased by two longitudinal strips of the carrier element, as a result of which it exhibits a specific curvature. According to the prior art a connecting piece (in practice also called an “end cap”) is slid over neighboring ends of the strips, or vice versa, that is the neighboring ends of the strips are slid into the connecting piece—so that a snap connection between these parts is realized. In the prior art, the connecting piece is provided with an opening at its free end so that the wiper blade can freely slide through the connecting piece. In other words, the connecting pieces do not retain the wiper blade, so that the connecting pieces allow a relative movement of the wiper blade along the longitudinal strips in the connecting pieces.
One drawback of the prior art windscreen wiper device is the fact that, during oscillatory movements of the wiper blade, the connecting pieces may touch the respective A-pillars of the vehicle concerned, resulting in a rattling noise, air turbulence and sometimes in damages to the connecting pieces and/or longitudinal strips. As a result, the wiping properties may deteriorate, whereas the wiper blade may come loose from the connecting pieces, particularly when the wiper blade and the connecting pieces are not connected in a durable, solid manner. Hence, the life span of the prior art windscreen wiper device may be seriously shortened.